Sam Mendes to direct four 2027 Beatles feature films — one for each member

Academy Award-winning director Sam Mendes (1917, Ghost) got the go-ahead to begin work on four separate feature films that would tell the individual stories of all four Beatles. According to a release from Sony Pictures Entertainment announcing the project Tuesday morning (Feb. 20), Mendes will direct the George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr-centered films set for release in 2027.

The project will mark the first time that Apple Corps Ltd. of the band and the group — McCartney and Starr and the families of Harrison and Lennon — have given full access to life story and music rights for a scripted film. “I'm honored to tell the story of the greatest rock band of all time and excited to challenge the idea of ​​what constitutes a trip to the movies,” Mendes said in a statement.

Mendes will direct the four standalone theatrical films – each from the perspective of a band member – and they will cross over to tell the full story of the Fab Four. SPE, which will finance and distribute the Mendes-designed films, will share details of the release, which it promises will be “innovative and groundbreaking.”

Neal Street Productions associate director Pippa Harris added: “We intend it to be a uniquely immersive and epic cinematic experience: four films, told from four different perspectives that tell a single story about the most famous band of all time. To have the blessing of the Beatles and Apple Corps to do this is a huge privilege. From our first meeting with Tom Rothman and Elizabeth Gabler, it was clear that they shared our passion and ambition for this project, and we can't think of a more perfect home than Sony Pictures.”

One of the most scrutinized and studied groups in popular music history, the Fab Four have been the subject of hundreds of books and documentaries, including Peter Jackson's acclaimed four-part documentary series in 2021. Come backwhich incorporated previously unseen and unheard audio and video.

Apple Corps Ltd. CEO Geoff Jones said the company is “delighted to work with Sam, Pippa and Julie to explore the unique story of each Beatle and bring them together in an appropriately captivating and innovative way . The enthusiastic support of Sony Pictures, who championed the project's scope and creative vision from the beginning, was invaluable to all of us.”